


One Bandito of a Problem

by orphan_account



Series: Trench [2]
Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: F/M, M/M, Multi, Non AU, Slow Burn, a new era means new problems, trench stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-19
Updated: 2018-07-19
Packaged: 2019-06-12 22:27:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15350103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: One Q&A is all it takes for Tyler to begin questioning his entire love life. He, of course, blames it on the new album, because change can never mean anything good.(At least, that's what he thinks.)





	One Bandito of a Problem

**Author's Note:**

> Maybe I should start compiling all my works by album era bc damn am I going to write so many fics about Dema and Trench and the Banditos just watch

“Did you know you wanted to marry Jenna the minute you laid eyes on her?”

The room fills with ‘awws’ as both Jenna and Tyler blush. Josh knocks shoulders with him playfully and fiddles with the brim of his hat, waiting for Tyler to answer the question.

With The _Banditos_ Tour about to start, the two had decided to put on a special Q &A at the Roosevelt Coffeehouse for a select few here in Columbus. After a couple acoustic performances of those new songs from Tyler and his ukulele, he and Josh sat down to answer questions. Tyler wanted to do something special for the fans that had stuck around during his year of silence, especially before they started touring and before the album in its entirety came out.

Jenna sat in the back of the room with Josh’s brother, smiling behind her iced coffee. Tyler chuckles a little and rubs the back of his neck before raising the microphone to his lips. Out of the corner of his eye, some people passing by distract him enough to develop his answer. “I... I want to say yes, but it wouldn’t be completely honest, and I value myself on being honest with all of you.” He clears his throat and glances back at his wife, who gives him a nod of encouragement. “I didn’t know right away that I wanted to marry her, but I knew I could trust her, and for me, trust is the most important thing to have in any relationship. I don’t think I’ve met anyone in the past and knew I wanted to marry them.”

“Not even me?” Josh chimes in, grinning ear to ear. The room breaks out into laughter.

“I was too intimidated by your muscles to want to marry you,” Tyler replies, smiling back. The laughter fades behind him as he begins to think, because the thing is, within the first ten seconds of speaking with Josh, Tyler wanted to marry him. Tyler could picture himself with Josh until they were old and struggling to walk. Maybe it had been the lust at first, but Tyler still could picture himself marrying Josh.

Don’t get him wrong. He still loved Jenna with all his heart and soul, and absolutely  _ adored _ being married to her, but there was still a part of him that wondered what his life would be like if it had been Josh instead.

And that part of him was the guilty part. Guilty because he loved his best friend, but he was also  _ in _ love with his best friend, all while being married, which was quite the dilemma.

“Who’s next?” Asks Josh, bring Tyler back to the present. A few hands go up, and Josh picks a redheaded girl in the front.

“What was your first impression of Tyler?” The group breaks into hesitate laughter and some ‘oohs,’ which fills Tyler with a bit of worry. Him and Josh never really talked about the past these days. Tyler couldn’t remember what Josh had thought of him.

“I thought he was the most talented person I had ever met. And I knew I wanted to be involved in whatever was going through that beautiful mind of his.” Josh flashes a perfect, white smile as cheers and hollers fill the room. Even Jenna and Jordan are clapping.

“Oh please, don’t clap for me. It’s Tyler that deserves the praise. I’m just the drummer.”

“Oh, whatever.” Tyler rolls his eyes. “A drummer is a very important title. You could kick me out of the band.”

Josh shrugs, still smiling. “You also could kick me out of the band.”

“Then there wouldn’t be a band, and we couldn’t play shows.” With a shake of his head, Tyler picks another question.

“Did you guys talk over the hiatus?”

“Of course,” Josh replies, even though that’s a blatant lie. Okay, not a total lie. They spoke to discuss ideas, mixes, and during meetings, but most of that was over Skype calls and through emails. In fact, this was actually the first time they had seen each other in person over the entirety of 2018. Free time was something the two both needed, as spending every waking second on a bus together could get annoying.

But it never annoyed Tyler, not once. Any time away from Josh only made him want to spend more time with him.

They answer a few more questions, including the sound of the album, feelings about the tour, and how they think this album will alter their fame. Tyler hates questions about fame because he doesn’t like referring to himself as someone famous. He’s just a voice for others like him that don’t have the platform to speak.

He’s lucky he’s been gifted with that platform.

The group meets in Tyler’s SUV, with Jenna driving, Tyler in the passenger seat, and Josh and Jordan in the back. 

“Mark’s already back at the house,” Jordan exclaims, holding up his phone. “My parents are almost ready. Are yours going to meet us at the restaurant?”

“Yeah, they should be,” is Tyler’s reply. He’s trying hard to remain upbeat and engaged, even though he feels detached and weird. He’s still thinking about the question earlier about marrying Jenna. It’s almost like its possessing him, making him unable to think about anything besides what a life would be like if he had married Josh instead.

“Is Zack gonna be there?” Jordan bounces up and down, causing Josh to push down on his knee.

“No more Redbull for you, bro.”

Jordan laughs. “Sorry, I’m just excited. I feel like we haven’t been together like this in so long! It’s so good to have my friends with me again. And my brother. You’re okay, too.”

Josh playfully punches him in the shoulder as he laughs. “Rude.”

“I’ll continue being nice to you because you let me take care of your dog.”

“Jim loves you more than me.” He pouts. “You’re becoming the cool uncle and I’m the lame dad.”

Suddenly, Jenna’s hand finds Tyler’s arm. He looks up from the dashboard and directs his attention towards her. She mouths, ‘You okay?’ to which Tyler forces a smile and nods. It’s nice to hear Josh’s voice again, even if he’s arguing with his brother about a dog. When Jenna would go run errands, Tyler would lay in bed replaying Josh’s old voicemails. Sometimes, if he was desperate, he’d even look up interviews on Youtube and listen, just to hear Josh speak. It was creepy, sure. That’s why Tyler did it in private.

When they arrive at Josh’s parent’s home, Mark jumps out of his car and pulls Tyler into a big hug. It’s been a while since he’s seen Mark too, which reminds him that Jordan is right. It is good to have the gang back together again.

While Mark is hugging Josh, Jordan runs inside, immediately sweeping Josh’s dog into his arms. Jenna sticks her tongue at Tyler playfully before heading inside, leaving Tyler alone with Josh and Mark.

“Look what I brought!” He holds up a finger and pulls a large, black bag out of the back seat of his car. “I thought we could get a jump start on the vlog series for the Bandito tour. Y’know, show the fans how you prepare and stuff. They’re really starving for some decent content.”

Josh chuckles. “Yeah, sounds good to me.”

Tyler would never tell Mark, but he had never once watched any of the vlogs Mark made for their tours. He wanted to believe it was because he didn’t want to see himself on film, but the rational part of him said it was something to do with Josh.

It was always something to do with Josh.

“If you’re gonna film the parents, make sure you get their consent,” Tyler replies as he starts to head for the front door. Josh’s hand stops him.

“Mark?” He asks. “You mind?”

“Nope,” Mark pops the p and grins as he slams his car door before strolling into the Dun household. Tyler rubs his eyes and pulls down on the sleeves of his hoodie. He’s wearing the mustard yellow one because he knew how much Josh liked it, and he had wanted to make a good impression when he saw Josh again for the first time in almost a year.

“Hey, are you doing okay?” Josh looks worried as he rests his hands on Tyler’s shoulders. “You seem off tonight.”

“I’m fine,” Tyler lies, not really wanting to get into anything. “It’s just weird, being here with you again, after what feels like ages.”

“It is a bit weird, isn’t it?” Josh pulls away and shoves his hands into his pockets. “Did you enjoy your break? That vacation in Greece looked amazing.”

“It was fun,” he admits.  _ But it would have been more fun if you had been there.  _ “I’m not sure if I’m ready for a new era.”

A frown. “Whaddya mean?”

Unfortunately, Tyler never gets to answer, because Jordan barrels out the front door, followed by Jenna, Mark, and Josh’s parents ready for dinner. Almost on cue, Tyler’s stomach growls.

Josh sighs. “We’ll talk later,” he promises, patting Tyler on the shoulder before joining the others in the car.

-

At the restaurant, Tyler sits in the corner with Jenna next to him. Josh is sitting clear at the other end of the table, nestled in between his parents and Jordan. Zack sits across from him, with their parents sitting on the other side of Jenna. They make pleasant conversation while Tyler colors with the tiny crayons Jenna had picked up for him. Coloring always helped with his anxiety, but he would never ask the waiter for fear of looking like an idiot for wanting a kid’s menu. Jenna was once again his saving grace. She had no trouble going through great lengths to get what she wanted.

Her hand rests protectively on his thigh as he colors a picture of an elephant eating spaghetti. His parents are having a conversation with Josh’s about empty nest syndrome.

“I miss having my kids around, but I’m so proud of who’ve they become!” 

“I can’t wait for Thanksgiving. Boys, you better not be late!” His mother leans her head over to send Tyler a playful glare. They had a show the night before Thanksgiving, in Kansas City. It’d only be like a ten-hour drive, but Tyler would most likely fly just for his mother’s expense (and his anxiety.)

“I’ll make sure both boys are back in Columbus before Thanksgiving morning,” Jenna promises, laughing lightly. Tyler pushes the crayon harder against the page as Jenna squeezes his thigh. It’s a comfort thing, just so he knows she’s here for him.

Maybe that’s why he chose to marry her. She took care of him. Well, that, and he loved her, of course.

“It’s so good knowing Tyler has someone to take care of him. I swear, he’d lose his head if it weren’t attached to his shoulders.” The table breaks out into more laughter. Tyler presses the crayon even harder against the page.

“At least he’s a crazy genius,” Zack adds.

“He’s just creative,” Jenna responds.

_ No, I’m just fucked up.  _ The crayon snaps in his hand. Fortunately, no one seems to notice, so he moves the broken pieces to the side and grabs a green one. Jenna pats his leg again.

“It’s an outlet,” Tyler mumbles to himself, quiet enough that no one hears him. He’s not sure what he’s referring to. Maybe it’s all of it. The writing, the endless days of sitting in front of a keyboard and not doing anything, locking himself in the bathroom and sitting on the edge of the bathtub for hours. Scribbling, coloring, listening to Josh’s voicemails.

Yikes. Maybe he is crazy.

When the food comes, Tyler takes one look before he feels queasy and excuses himself to the restroom. It’s late enough that no one else is in the room with him, so he splashes some water on his face and leans forward on his elbows enough to look at himself in the mirror.

Ever since he was little, there had been a part of him that wondered what it would be like to be with a man. He hadn’t been in many relationships growing up because everyone thought he was the ‘weird, homeschooled kid.’ In fact, Jenna had been one of two serious relationships. She didn’t think he was weird; she thought he was extraordinary. She didn’t think he was messed up; she thought he was beautiful. She was okay with his anxiety, his depression, his mood swings. She took care of him, and he loved her for that.

But was he in love with her?

Surprisingly, he had never stopped to ask himself that question. He married her because he felt safe with her around and because he was tired of hearing his parents ask questions. Tyler was almost thirty years old. Most people his age had children.

He could only imagine how Josh felt.

The door opens, and Tyler darts over to the urinal as Josh walks in. He unzips his pants and pretends like he’s peeing.

“Hey, man.” Josh joins him, and they stand in awkward silence as both finish up their business. Josh goes to wash his hands, but Tyler remains still.

“Ty?” Josh tries again as he wipes his wet hands on his pants. “What’s wrong?”

“M’fine,” Tyler responds, zipping up his fly. He pushes past Josh and goes to wash his own hands.

“No, you aren’t. We haven’t seen each other in practically a year. I thought you would be more excited about having everyone go out. It was your idea.”

“I am excited.” He tears off some paper towels and dries his hands, crumpling them into a ball afterward. “I’m excited to see you, and Mark, and everyone else.”

“Does this have anything to do with what you said back at the house?” Josh leans against the sinks and folds his arms. Tyler sighs.

“I’m just nervous, man.”

“What are you nervous about? The album sounds amazing. The new singles are doing great. The fans are glad we’re back. And you love touring.”

“I know, I know.” He swats his hand. “About the touring bit. But I’ve seen the things people are saying online.”

It’s Josh’s turn to huff. “Tyler, what have I said about reading criticism? It gets to your head, dude. Not everyone is going to like what we put out, but we shouldn’t focus on that, because there are people who do.”

“I know,” Tyler says again, this time a bit too bitterly. Josh scoffs.

“I don’t want to fight with you.”

“Then don’t act like you’re my parent.” Tyler glares at him. He isn’t sure why he’s getting so defensive about his actions. It’s a part of this whole, weird night. “Blurryface was so hyped, man. Three years of fame and success and happy people. I’m not ready to go back out there.”

“You say these things every time we finish a new album. I remember having this same exact conversation with you when we released Vessel and Blurryface.” He chuckles. Tyler knows it isn’t directed at him, but it still hurts, like Josh is dismissing his feelings. “We have an incredible fanbase who will back us up no matter what. If we make something they don’t like, and they leave, then so be it. We don’t make music for people who don’t like us.”

Tyler wants to talk to him about the weird feelings he’s been having recently, and how the question about Jenna bothered him today, but he doesn’t bring it up. Josh thinks it’s the new album that has him in a trance.

He wants to ask Josh if he’s ever thought about being in a relationship with a guy. He wants to ask how Josh’s love life is going, and if he thinks he’s ever going to get in one.

But he doesn’t. It feels like they’ve almost grown apart in the months they spent away from each other.

“Yeah,” he says, “you’re right. I’m just overthinking things like I always do.”

“You may overthink things, but that’s just a part of who you are. I wouldn’t want it any other way.” Josh pulls the tired man into a bear hug and squeezes him tightly. Tyler happily accepts and buries his head into Josh’s neck, inhaling his scent. God, he’s missed his best friend so much. How did he live without him?

“Can I be honest with you?” He holds Josh tight and forbids him from letting go.

“Duh.”

Tyler chuckles. “I was kind of miserable not having you around.”

Josh laughs with him. “Oh my God, it’s so great to hear you say that. Not because you were miserable, but because I felt the same way.”

“Really?” He’s surprised. “You seemed to be having fun with your alone time.”

“Yeah, I thought you were having fun being alone too. It’s an act. I hate being away from you.”

“You’d think with all the time we spend together on tour, we’d be dying to get away from each other.”

“Yeah, you’d think.” Finally, Josh pulls away, a smile on his face. He pokes Tyler in the nose and gestures towards the front door. “Come on. Let’s go have a good time before we gotta do work stuff.”

-

The rest of the night moves smoothly. When they get back to the table, Jenna has moved, allowing Josh to sit by Tyler, and he mouths ‘thank you’ to her. She smiles in response.

Mark gets some video for the vlog series, and before they know it, the night comes to an end. Jenna and Tyler go back to their house, Josh crashes and his parent's house with Jordan and Zack returns with Mom and Dad.

The car ride home is silent because Tyler pretends to sleep. He can feel Jenna reach for his hand and entangle their fingers gently. It causes a small smile to rise to his sleepy lips.

He can feel when they pull into the driveway. Jenna rubs circles into the palm of his hand.

“We’re home, Ty,” she whispers. He blinks a couple of times and unbuckles his seatbelt.

“I’m ready for bed.”

“I bet. Tonight was a lot for you, wasn’t it?”

He nods. “Yeah. I didn’t expect it to be so... stress-inducing.”

“You’ve gotten used to being off on your own. Don’t worry. When you two start practicing for tour soon, you’ll get back into the swing of things.”

“Yikes,” he replies, immediately regretting it when Jenna’s eyebrows furrow.

“Why yikes?”

“It’s just the new stuff. New is always a scary thought to me.”

She takes a deep breath in through her nose and turns the car off. They sit in darkness for a few seconds before her reply comes. “New is always a scary thought for me too, love. But you handle it well. Like, remember when we went to Iceland to film that music video? Remember how cold it was? And the director wanted you to lay down in that ice cold water. I expected you to freak out and complain, but you did exactly what you were told, and you did it  _ well. _ That was new, for both of us.”

He hadn’t thought about that. “That’s true.”

“Starting something new is always going to be a bit scary, but that’s a part of the journey. If you’re stuck doing the same thing all the time, you’ll never learn from new experiences.”

He nods. “God, Jenna. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

She smiles. “I don’t know what I’d do without you either, Ty.”

-

He doesn’t sleep well that night, tossing and turning, jealous of his wife next to him. He awakes with the sunlight pouring in through the blinds and gives up, rolling over for his phone charging on the bedside table.

Great. It’s 6:30.

With a long sigh, he pulls his phone off the charger and scrolls through some emails when he gets a text from Josh.

_ Can’t sleep. U awake? _

He smiles.  _ Yep. Can’t sleep either. _

_ Great,  _ Josh responds quickly,  _ Coffee? _

Perfect. They’ll have more alone time.

Quickly, he presses a kiss to Jenna’s forehead, whispering that he’ll be back soon when she groans and pulls the blankets up to her chin. He grabs a hoodie, rolls on some deodorant, and bounds down the stairs to sit in the living room, waiting impatiently for Josh to pick him up.

Josh is there in ten minutes, but it feels like hours to an anxiety-ridden Tyler who is nervous about the kinds of conversations they might end up having. He wants to keep things light, even though their relationship has some patching to do. They have to make up for the past year.

“Good morning,” he says cheerfully as Tyler climbs into the passenger seat. Tyler smiles.

“You seem energetic this morning.”

“I’m excited to get coffee.” Josh slides the gear into drive and speeds down the street, his hands tight around the steering wheel. “Wanted to go to the Roosevelt, but that place is going to be packed. I guarantee people would recognize us.”

“Even this early?”

Josh nods. “It’s prime coffee time. Work, school, you name it.”

“Okay, so where then?”

“I got an idea.”

They end up at a smaller coffeehouse a few blocks over, where inside sits one man reading the paper and a couple still in pajamas whispering to each other. After retrieving their picks, (Tyler goes with something sugary while Josh settles with a plain Americano,) they settle in the back of the building, comfortably in the corner. Tyler’s hands fiddle with the pocket of his hoodie as he stares at his untouched vanilla latte.

“Not feeling it?” Josh sets his mug down, already having finished half of it. Tyler isn’t surprised. Josh could down six cups of coffee just over the course of one hour.

“Can I ask you kind of a personal question?”

Josh raises an eyebrow and leans back in his chair. “Sure, man. You can ask me anything.”

“Have you...” He doesn’t want to say it. It feels weird, foreign, coming out of his mouth. “Have you ever thought about what it might be like to be in a relationship with a guy?”

Tyler expects Josh to be surprised by the question, but he doesn’t react at all, only pushes his tongue into his cheek and clucks his tongue.

“Honestly? Yeah. I have.”

Instant relief washes over him. “Seriously? Have you ever been with a guy?”

Josh avoids his eager gaze and sighs. “Yeah. Only one.” He seems guilty, his fingers tapping nervously on his arm. Tyler frowns.

“You didn’t tell me? When was it?”

“A couple years ago, right before you got married. And, no I didn’t tell you. How am I supposed to drop that into casual conversation?”

“You tell me you have something to tell me.”

“Maybe it wasn’t something I wanted to tell you.” Josh’s eyes flicker to the front door, where an elderly man shuffles in, leaning his weight on his cane. Tyler’s frown deepens.

“Why would you not tell me that?”

A sigh. Josh is starting to get annoyed. “Because Tyler, you’re happily married. Everyone around me is happily married or at least in some stable relationship. I’m three decades old. Three. I’m practically mid-life at this point and still single.” He scoffs and begins to pick at dried coffee on the side of his mug. “I can’t figure out why I can’t seem to hold a relationship. Is it the way I look? The way I act? What I do for a living? Or is it because I’m afraid of commitment or the ability to admit to myself what my actual sexuality is?”

“It’s not the way you act or the way you look,” Tyler states firmly, “any reasonable person knows how amazing you are.”

“Yeah, thanks. That still leaves a number of other things.”

“Our career gives us lots of opportunities to meet people. That’s how I met Jenna.”

“You got lucky. Most people don’t want their spouse to be gone ten months out of the year, or wants to drop everything to come be on the road with you for that long either. The thing is, Tyler, I am afraid of commitment. I’m afraid of getting into a relationship because I don’t want to be dumped, or to argue, or to admit to myself,” he swallows loudly, “that I’m not straight.”

“But that’s what I’m here for, man. To talk about those things. You know how much I care about you, right? We both have our problems. That’s why we became friends in the first place.” Josh doesn’t say anything. Tyler takes that as his cue to keep talking. “Yesterday, you helped me calm down. Let me do the same for you.”

Josh takes a few deep breaths before nodding his head. “Okay. Yeah. Why were you asking me?”

“Because I don’t think I’m straight either.” That gets Josh’s face to soften. He rests his arms on the table, a totally Josh thing to do, and begins to play with his napkin. Tyler has to bite his tongue because Josh looks innocent and frankly, really adorable.

“Really?”

“I did a lot of thinking over the break. A lot of it turned into writing, which turned into frustration,” he laughs, “which then turned into crumples of paper covering every inch of the floor, but yeah. And then, that question yesterday, about Jenna. And if I knew I was going to marry her the minute I saw her.”

“What about it?”

“I said it was hard for me to trust people, but you Josh...” he shakes his head. “The thing is, I trusted you, like, right off the bat. That night that we talked for hours and hours, I told you things not even my own brothers knew. I knew you could keep my secrets safe. I knew I could trust you. Sometimes when we’re caught up in all the success, I want to stop and tell you a million times how grateful I am for you.”

“I’m grateful for you too, Ty, but I don’t understand how that has anything to do with Jenna.”

“It took me ages before I felt I could trust her. And don’t get me wrong, I’m so thankful that she’s here with me, and that she takes care of me because I don’t think I could do all of this without her. I love her a lot. There’s just... I have doubts.”

He furrows his brows. “What kind of doubts?”

“What would life be like if I had married you instead?”

Tyler truly doesn’t comprehend what’s actually come out of his mouth until Josh has stood up and disappeared into the restroom across the shop. Great.

He rubs his eyes and stands up, sliding his hands into his pockets.

And then, he walks.

-

Eventually, Tyler calls an Uber back home and walks through the front door feeling exhausted. All he wants is to sleep, but Jenna is waiting for him on the sofa, a stack of photographs spread out on the coffee table in front of her. Tyler recognizes those pictures. They’re from her Instagram, ones of her and him. She smiles up at him and pats the spot next to her.

“How was coffee, babe?”

“Good,” he lies, not wanting to talk about Josh. She licks her finger and pulls another photograph from the pile. It’s from their wedding day.

“This was such a good day,” she exclaims, handing the photo over to Tyler, who looks at it with guilt in his gut. He needed to talk with her too.

“It was,” he agrees, his voice quiet. Jenna reaches over to gently touch his knee.

“Something tells me you’ve been thinking hard lately.”

He scoffs. “You know me so well.”

“Spit it out, Tyler. I know what happens when you let things simmer in that beautiful brain of yours.”

“Have you ever thought about what it would be like to be in a same-sex relationship?” He braces for her answer, knowing the Christian backgrounds they both grew up in and still practiced. Maybe she’ll call him out about it. Maybe she’ll change the subject. Maybe she’ll say he needs to start therapy up again. Come to think about it, he should probably do that anyway, especially before the start of a new tour and album release. His mind would be reeling as soon as  _ Trench _ came out.

“A same-sex relationship, huh?” Jenna continues to rifle through photographs nonchalantly. “Actually, yes.”

“Yes?”

“Yes.” 

He blinks. “Huh.”

“What, did you think I was going to reprimand you because you have feelings for Josh?” She laughs. “No, I would never do that.”

Tyler’s eyes about bulge out of his head as he jumps off the couch and begins to pace the length of the room. “Feelings for Josh? What are you talking about?”

Jenna smiles. “Don’t play dumb with me. I told you, I’m very good at reading you. It’s something that’s been bothering you a lot lately.”

“No, it hasn’t.”

“And yesterday, as soon as someone asked that question about me, you started thinking about him again.”

“I didn’t!”

“When you two are together, you are the happiest man on earth. Don’t think I didn’t notice your drop in serotonin this past year without him around. Josh makes you happy.”

“You make me happy.” His heart is racing a mile a minute.

“I don’t doubt that. You make me happy too. And Josh also makes me happy. But what makes both of us happy is when you’re with Josh.”

“Jenna, you can’t put words into my mouth.”

“Then you say them.” She looks up from her pictures and stands up from the couch to reach for a scrapbook and tape. “I know you love me, Tyler. I wouldn’t have married you if I didn’t think you felt the same way about me as I did for you. But I also know you’ve had conflicting thoughts about Josh since the very day you met him. You’ve told me the story a million times.”

“So... what are you saying?”

With a long breath, Jenna sets her things down to pull her husband into a tight hug. “What I’m saying, dork, is that I don’t mind sharing.”

“You... what?”

“I love you, and I want you to be around people who make you happy. I want you to be able to be with Josh and be around Josh without feeling guilty about it. Because having feelings for someone who might be the same sex as you doesn’t make you a bad person. I don’t want you to freak out about the tour, or the album because you are amazing and talented and deserve every single good thing that happens. Both Josh and I know how much the fans are going to love the new album. Trust me when I say how much they’ve missed you.” Tyler opens his mouth to reply, but nothing is coming out. There are a million thoughts forming a tornado in his head. “And I know Josh can take care of you in ways I can’t, especially when you are touring.”

Breathless, Tyler manages to spit out, “What now?”

Jenna rolls her eyes. “Jesus, Ty. Go talk to him.” She gives him a shove towards the front door before returning to her pictures. He closes his mouth, nods his head firmly, and takes two steps towards the door, ready to follow her orders.

But not before he tells her, “I love you.”

She smiles. “I know.”

 

Jordan answers the front door, with Jim immediately heading towards Tyler’s ankles. Tyler gets the dog a quick pat on the head before pushing past Jordan into the foyer.

“Josh is downstairs,” he says, scooping up Jim into his arms before disappearing into the kitchen. Tyler practically flies down the stairs and comes face to face with the boy he’s been in love with since day one.

He’s watching some show on Netflix and pauses when he hears Tyler come into the room.

“What?” 

Tyler decides to show him.

He wraps his arms around Josh’s neck and kisses him hard, catching Josh off guard, who goes to push the brunette off of him, but quickly decides not to when his hands catch the sides of Tyler’s waist. The kiss goes on for a while, a mixture of hot breath and passion, until Tyler pulls back, a mad grin on his face.

“I can’t tell you how long I’ve wanted to do that.”

“You could have done that before you got married.” Josh sits, dumbfounded, still unable to fully understand what just happened. Tyler shakes his head.

“Jenna told me to do what makes me happy.”

“Kissing me makes you happy?”

A nod. “Kissing you made me  _ really _ happy.”

A blush rises to Josh’s cheeks. “I’m sorry I ran away. I didn’t know what to say. Or do. So I fled.” He sighs. “It’s something I’ve thought a lot about over the years. Especially when we used to sleep next to each other. I just never wanted to pursue anything because of--”

“Ridicule?”

“Something like that.”

Tyler takes Josh’s hand in his and mashes their fingers together. It feels so nice to finally be doing this. “It’s something I always think about when we’re away. And then that question... it set me over the edge. I started imagining my life with you by my side.”

“I’m already by your side.”

“Yeah, but not in the way I would have liked.” He looks down at their hands and rubs his thumb over the top of Josh’s. “I think that’s what made this hiatus, this album, so difficult for me. All of this change. It wasn’t going to be the same, now that we had all the fame and success from Blurryface. Basically, I started pushing you away because I didn’t want you to push  _ me _ away.”

“Oh, Ty.” Josh leans over to kiss Tyler’s head, sending heat rising to his cheeks this time. “Yeah, things might be different, but it’s still going to be you and I. It will always be you and I.”

Tyler looks him in the eyes. Man, he loves Josh’s eyes. They always had so much optimism and hopefulness in them. “You promise?”

Josh holds up his pinky. “I pinky promise.”

Tyler pulls him into a hug.

-

The night before the two were to leave for the  _ Bandito _ world tour, Jenna is helping them double check that they have everything packed. Tyler and Josh are sitting on the bed, holding hands, while Jenna walks around their plethora of suitcases and mumbles under her breath.

Tyler definitely felt less nervous than he had a few months ago. He felt happier too, and more prepared for the start of a new era. He had no clue what he’d do without Jenna or Josh.

“I think you have everything. If not, I’ll send you a text. Tyler, remember to put on deodorant.” She grins wryly, causing Tyler to roll his eyes.

“That was one time!”

“I know, love.” She presses a kiss to his forehead. “You’re my favorite husband.” Jenna then moves over to Josh, pressing a kiss to the top of his head, only because he’s still wearing a hat. He only ever takes that thing off when Tyler wants to see his natural hair.

“Because I love it so much,” he says sheepishly.

“And Josh, you’re my favorite husband’s husband.”

Josh chuckles. “Thanks, Jenna.”

“Be safe, okay? Make sure to text me when you get to your first location.”

“We aren’t leaving until tomorrow, Jen,” Tyler reminds her, watching as she scoops up blankets and pillows into her hands. She smiles again, this time more politely.

“I know. I figured you two could use some time alone before you squeeze into tiny bunks on a bus.”

Josh squeezes Tyler’s hand as Tyler responds, “I love you, Jenna.”

She winks. “I know,” and closes the door quietly. Always the eager one, Josh pushes Tyler onto his back and straddles him, his eyes glimmering mischievously. He holds out his pinky finger and smiles when Tyler wraps his securely around it.

“You and me.”

“Me and you.” Tyler pulls him in for a kiss and hums happily.

Maybe a new era wouldn’t be too difficult after all.

**Author's Note:**

> The whole time I was writing this all I could think of was that scene from Parks and Recreation when April introduces her boyfriend to Leslie by saying, "This is my boyfriend Derek and this is his boyfriend Ben" and Leslie is like "???" but then April is all like "Derek is gay but he's straight for me but he's gay for Ben and Ben is really gay for Derek" Imagine Jenna being like "this is my husband Tyler and this is his boyfriend Josh."
> 
> Here's the video link in case you haven't seen this masterpiece -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKTOcvkePL8
> 
> Anywho thanks for reading, there will probably be more trench stuff bc I'm a SLUT for this new era lol
> 
> ALSO follow me on Tumblr at pastelxmess bc I updated my theme and I'm ready to jump back into conversations with people about this stuff and the concerts coming up (I'm seeing the boys in St. Louis literally four days after I get back from Australia woo) and about the album and the letters and new singles to come!!!! Please come talk to me I want friends


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